Investment scams involving gold, crypto, and wine have surged, with over £220m lost in the past year. UK banks reported nearly 15,000 such scams in 2025, fueled by AI's ability to create sophisticated, large-scale deceptions. Overall fraud losses reached £1.28bn.
South Korean police arrested a foreign national, identified as A, on suspicion of aiding an investment scam. A was apprehended while attempting to collect an additional 60 million won in cash from a victim who had already lost 190 million won to the scam group.
Dongguan police have successfully cracked a new type of telecom fraud involving "high-return wealth management and gold investment," recovering 1120 grams of gold worth over 1.1 million yuan and fully compensating the victim. The scam targeted a woman who was tricked into purchasing and mailing gold through a fake app.
Dubai Police, in 'Tri-Force Sentinel', dismantled 9 scam hubs and arrested 276 suspects, mostly from Southeast Asia, for high-yield investment scams, 'pig butchering' schemes, and virtual currency fraud, with international cooperation including the FBI and China's Ministry of Public Security.
Two men fleeced millions from five victims in a fraudulent property investment scheme, which one victim said had stolen half her superannuation and "ruined" her life.
Israeli citizen Shabtay Yaacoby is found guilty of laundering more than $10 million stolen by investment scammers.
Israeli citizen Shabtay Yaacoby is found guilty of laundering more than $10 million stolen by investment scammers.
Investment scams targeting Hong Kong's elderly rose 17% in Q1 2026 despite an overall decline in cases, with police warning that better-educated retirees with more investment experience are increasingly vulnerable. Elderly victims' losses contributed to an 18.6% rise in total scam losses to HK$1.85 billion, even as case numbers fell 0.6%. The 1,264 victims over 60 suffered HK$530 million in losses, a 79% year-on-year increase.
A Lloyds bank customer, Sarah, had £20,000 stolen in an investment scam. Initially denied a full refund due to a 13-month reporting deadline, her money was fully reimbursed after BBC Radio 4's Money Box investigated the case.
